Jon Lillistone – LB Southwark Claire Ritchie – LB Lewisham A Radical Approach to Housing Options and Move-on Jon Lillistone – LB Southwark Claire Ritchie – LB Lewisham Slide one South East London Supporting People Lead Officers Group

Themes Housing Options more than just a part VII homelessness duty assessment Effectively assessing support needs co-ordinating placements into supported housing on the basis of need and not a part VII assessment Challenging providers and users expectations and thinking around move on from supported housing

Housing Options Emphasis on prevention from central government following 2002 Homelessness Act A focus on giving advice and exploring a range of options A move away from just ‘gate keeping mentality’ and making Part VII homeless duty assessments

Housing Options CLG good practice talks about “how we can help” rather than “who we can help” A more customer focused approach Need to think about staff skills and training issues to deliver a different approach Importance of working with a wider range of community partners – public and private and voluntary

Housing Options SE London boroughs taking this forward in innovative ways Advice and assistance to anyone with a housing problem Everyone offered a housing options interview Integration of assessing support needs into the process Being very honest and upfront about chances of getting ‘council housing’ Emphasis on best options available to fit individual or household circumstances Staff training focused on ‘conceptual marketing’ and ‘selling products’ or a range of housing options to customers

Co-ordinating Access to Supported Housing The current system for most boroughs The most vulnerable people are often unable to access appropriate support The system is inefficient and duplicates functions There is a lack of transparency and consistency The system is not strategic and fails to provide evidence to plan and deliver council services

Co-ordinating access A centralised team A fair and equitable access route to supported accommodation Ensure the most vulnerable people have access to appropriate support Allow a strategic approach/needs analysis to service provision and development of SP services

Co-ordinating access consistent and effective use of resources The effective targeting of resources to meet local need A consistent standard of assessment of housing- related support needs Prevent homelessness through timely access to SP services

Co-ordinating access consistent and effective use of resources Greater coordination of the efforts of statutory and voluntary sector partners Reduced use of temporary accommodation for single vulnerable people Improved move-on rates through supported accommodation

Entry and Exit In order to make the service effective you need to manage move-on

Move on and Social Housing  Low rents can help tenants get into work, because they reduce benefit traps.  But more than half those of working age in social housing are without paid work, twice the national rate.  Some of this reflects disadvantages such as disability or lack of qualifications, but even allowing for these, employment rates are low. (Source - John Hills “Ends & Means the Future Role of Social Housing in England Feb 2007)

Move on Mixed-income neighbourhoods The current government has an objective of promoting the existence of mixed-income communities, and actively promotes an income mix within new housing developments. (Source - Communities and Local Government, Planning Policy statement 3 Dec pg )

Why? 1. Avoid stigmatisation 2. Avoid potential declines in the quality of services (both private and public) in very low income areas 3. Protect neighbourhood conditions 4. Create better links to economic activity 5. Avoid part of society being cut off from the rest of it.

The case for A recent summary of evidence from twenty case studies suggested that the “…mixed-income communities studied were overwhelmingly judged successful: they were not characterised by the problems often linked with exclusively low income areas” (Mixed Communities: Success and sustainability, Chris Holmes, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Foundations, March 2006)

Ends & Means: The Future Role of Social Housing “To support more of an income mix within existing communities” “The stability & sub-market rents that social housing offers should help work incentives”

Issues for discussion Would RSLs give the new assessment & referral team access to the nominations they currently give to providers? Should people in education, work or training get priority access to social housing as move-on?